Colleges offering classes at new facility

10/12/2006

OTTAWA, Ohio - Owens Community College has joined three other schools offering college classes at the new Putnam County Educational Service Center/Skilled Learning Center.

Owens officials said the Findlay campus will begin offering classes this month in supervision, digital photography, art, and project management in Ottawa.

Jan Osborn, superintendent of the service center, said in addition to Owens, Ohio State University's Lima campus will be offering nine general education courses over three quarters; the University of Toledo is offering a distance-learning course for teachers, and Rhodes State College in Lima is going to be offering courses in a variety of subjects, including real estate and information technology.

Mr. Osborn said Apollo Career Center in Lima also plans to offer a licensed practical nursing program in Ottawa beginning in January.

The center, which is Putnam County's first postsecondary education site, was built in part with a $1,725,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded after Ottawa lost its largest employer, LG Philips Displays.

About 1,500 people lost their jobs when the plant closed in late 2002 and moved production to Mexico.